This is also true of the
Team Visma | Lease a Bike superstar's aforementioned only Monument win to date - Milano-Sanremo 2020, an edition that was uniquely held in the summer during the year where the Coronavirus ravaged the whole sporting calendar. "For Van der Poel, it's the opposite: he’s good in the summer, but never as flashy as Van Aert," Bakelants adds.
"He needs to race more and take part in all the classics up until the Amstel Gold Race, including the Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo," suggests Bakelants' podcast colleague Dirk De Wolf, noting how Van Aert seemingly lacked the racing rhythm required to beat the likes of Van der Poel and Pogacar.
"Arnaud De Lie did the same thing last year, and it didn’t go perfectly for him either," adds Bakelants in agreement. "Van Aert and De Lie are riders who need to win races. They need to look at themselves in the mirror every morning and say, 'I am the best.' Then they become convinced of it and keep winning. But now Wout is heading into the big races without any victories. When your rival from your youth categories also starts to get the upper hand, it's hard not to lose heart."